good mates

Into the Slot

| flynny101

17-04-2021

Kylie, Kristo, Hywaida, Jason, Jen, Ethan and Meeeee

When Gadget asked me if I had any plans for the 17th I was like you know I don’t plan that far ahead.

Well would you be interested in doing the Kanangra Main trip that we changed plans for earlier? Says she

Does the Pope shit in the woods? Wait, that’s not the saying. Does a bear poop catholics? Still not it….

Anyhoo, I rocked out to Kanangra Boyd on the Friday night to met up with Kylie and we set up camp in the fading light.

We were soon joined by Jen for diner and banter around the camp fire

Jason rocked in a little later and as the temperature dropped we retired for the night with nervous excitement for what the next day would bring.

The day brought an early start.

A quick breaky around the camp fire and then off to meet Ethan, Hywaida and Kris at the carpark.

Are we doing the wall or the slot?

The Slot. Let’s plan on that and we can reassess if we have to once we see the water levels

Hi Ho it’s off adventuring we go ©Jen

Getting to the start of the slot involves traversing across a loose narrow ledge. Jason was leading the way.

hey, did you see that? Calls I

See what?

Highland Copperhead snake (Austrelaps ramsayi) tucking his head into his hidey hole

Of course now the rest of us need to get past. I’m pretty comfortable around snakes and I’m hoping no one else freaks out. I point out the unexpected hazard and step over.

Kylie steps up but the rock she steps on moves. The tail quickly disappears.

OK be careful and don’t step on those 2 rocks….

To my relief everyone comes across without hesitation and snakey stays safe in his hole.

One of our members had a little trouble with a redirect that I probably didn’t properly explain the process for passing. Jen and Jason set up a little 3:1 haul to help out ©Jen
Kris dropping down P1.

The slot has a bit of a reputation for projectiles. The top of P1 and the stance in between P1 and P2 are littered with loose rocks, anything from pebble size to large slabs. If you are heading in you need to make sure your group is extremely careful. It’s Kylies trip and I didn’t want to take over but I did stress no one was to move above P2 while people were on rope and we didn’t have an issue.

Kylie coming to set up the next anchor
Kristo and me in the slot ©Kylie
Looking down P2 to where things get interesting ©Kylie
Jen descending into the abyss @Kylie
Hywaida? @Kylie
It’s a cold pitch to be anchor bitch. The wind and spray whistles viciously through here ©Kylie
Hywaida enjoying the experience ©Ethan
We set up a guided rap just for the practice and then we are on to the main route.

And then we are back onto the Main route


Kris on p5 With the main falls above us @Jason
©jen

The rest of the photos are in no particular order as there are so many waterfalls and I enjoy the experience so much that looking back I struggle to remember what order they came in.

Photo credits to the various people mentioned above

It’s getting late by the time we reach our exit. When doing awesome stuff with awesome people time has no meaning for me and for various reasons the descent had taken longer than expected.

With the days getting shorter it was going to be touch and go for us to get up the scrambles before dark.

I’ve done the exit up the ridge several times now but each time I seem to go a slightly different way and experience a different number of scrambles with varying degrees of dodginess.

There’s a bit of a track starting to form now but that’s not to say it takes the best path and a coupe of branches definitely takes you on more difficult routes. This time up we miss all the trickiest scrambles except 1. It was shitscary but we all got up it with just a little swearing and encouragement and we reach the tourist track just as the light is fading.

All in all another excellent day out with truly amazing people

Group size: 7

Time: 11hr car to car

Deep calls to deep: Psalms 42:7

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Coinslots and Bull Ants

| flynny101

16/06/2019

Russ, Stu, Ethan and meeeeeee

Despite (or possibly because) starting the year doing some amazingly awesome and epic trips I’ve been struggling to get out lately. Trying to find that balance between family, canyoning, the mountain bike club, work and all the other crap I do has needed a bit of tending.

Anyhooo I had a weekend free and the guys were keen. Our plans to do something in the Wolgan took a dive when I remembered the glowworm tunnel marathon was on and the valley would be packed.

Shall we go one valley over and do Coinslot.

Yep

It’s really short shall we follow up with Doomsday (AKA Bull Ant)

Yep

They are an argumentative bunch…

Anyhooo, We converge at my place, load gear in ute and head off.

Reaching the car park the fog was that thick we couldn’t see the clifflines but we were soon well above that and the views on the way up to Coinslot never fail to impress

I’d considered doing the climbing route as I know all the guys are competent but then thought if we wanted to do another canyon none of us had done before it might be best to take the quicker way up thus we take the not quiet climbing route.

Previously with different groups, some of whom needed roping up, the climb up to Coinslot always seemed a longer expedition but in no time we were up and into it.

In the absence of the Mad One Russ volunteered to go all Madie on the heart shaped rock

Russ Enjoying the Coinslot abseil
Stu at the top of the 29m Coinslot abseil
It’s a stunning drop
Then we avoid the pool with one of the easiest games of “the water is lava” ever, making use of some very convenient finger pockets
Stu in silhouette against the Capertee valley

And then it’s back down to the hill to the car, it’s barely lunch time.

I’ve got some vague track notes to get us to the start of Doomsday and after a bite to eat we head off up the other side of the valley. The climb up starts steep and gets steeper. Some dodgy not-quiet-rock-climbing sees us standing on a summit over looking the valley.

It’d be a nice spot for a morning tea break or sumfink.

Down into a gap and up the other side then steadily up a ridge.

The canyon must start fairly high up in the system….

Nope.

We reach the point were the notes say to turn towards the creek and need to drop back down through a fair portion of the elevation we just ascended.

I’m already thinking of Chardie and Autal’s comments on my complex bush bashes to visit not so awesome canyons…

Not sure if Madie told you guys but I have a reputation for this shit, say I

Canyon better be good, says they. And I have to agree

Ethan regales them with the tale of our scrub bash to nowhere

If there is ever a next time I think I’d try and traverse the base of the upper cliffs. Climbing up them just to abseil back down wasn’t that fun

I’d promised swims but we did our best to avoid the black manky water for as long as possible
Stu showing us how to get down without getting wet. I must have missed an important tip and went for a swim instead. Mmmmmm smelly and cold. Cold and smelly
Interestingly this wasn’t the only anchor to feature cheap paramatta rope, nor was it the most bizarre set up we came across all day
And then we come to the Doomsday pool

This involves an abseil into a pool and then a duck under a low arch. The bottom of the arch is only a couple of inches above the top of the water. As I was already wet I strip off my shirt and volunteer to go first. It was freaking cold

By throwing the ropes over the arch I was then able to help Stu, and subsequently the others to stay dry by coming over the top. Their dryness would last for long
What the hell is Russel doing to that tree???

And then we boulder hop, abseil and stumble back down the hill to the maintenance trail and thus back to the car.

It’s not often I finish a canyon wondering whether it was worth it but I doubt I’d rush back to do Doomsday. I know other friends enjoy it and to be fair on a warmer, wetter day it might be more appealing but today it didn’t grab me as anything special.

Anyhooo

Everyone wants to experience the view at the top of the mountain. Very few realise the magic, wonder and growth happens while you are climbing it 

Party Size: 4 all experienced

Time: Coinslot 2.5 hours car to car. Doomsday 4.5hrs car to car

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